“Eeuw…,” I thought to myself as I peeled my right big toenail back. The entire right side of the nail peeled back from the skin. Didn’t hurt, though, surprisingly.
“Come look at this, honey.”
“Gross. I did not need to see that before dinner,” Andrew wrinkled his nose.
Oh, what the hell. The nail’s a goner anyway. I finished peeling it completely off.
Apparently my right big toenail was the first long-awaited casualty from my 50K.
I had read that many ultra runners lose their toenails. I just thought I had dodged a bullet since it’s been two and half months since my 50K. I should’ve known better when at my last pedicure, after my nail polish was removed, I noticed that the toenail was completely gray. Better cover THAT back up with some polish.
Crazy Jessica who ran the Blackwater 50K with me also lost her toenail several weeks ago. It appears that Crazy Amy dodged a bullet as all ten of her toenails are still intact.
Losing my toenail is a good reminder that the actions we take (or don’t take) today have long-term consequences in our life, good or bad.
Run eight hours with wet feet through mud, muck, and swamp and you’re likely to eventually lose a toenail or two, not to mention blisters. Oh, the blisters. I cringe remembering my feet the first couple of weeks following the race.
Just as your feet will take a hit when you abuse them in a long race, your loved ones also feel the pain when you fail to plan your affairs when you had the opportunity to do so.
That’s what Family Succession Planning is all about. It’s planning your affairs to save your loved ones, time, money, and headaches when you’re gone. Plus, who wants to subject their family to unnecessary government interference in the transfer of assets and money when it is completely avoidable?
The good news is that my toenail is already growing back.
The bad news is that if you haven’t yet planned your estate (or haven’t updated it in years), you may not have the opportunity to do so later.
I have a pedicure scheduled for my Mother’s Day treat in Sandestin on Sunday. I wonder if the pedicurist can paint the skin of my MIA toenail? We shall see!
Kristen “Missing Her Toenail” Marks
